Elected Members of Ennis Town Council have unanimously supported a proposal to have a memorial erected to Irish men and women who served and died in Allied service in South East Asia during the period 1959 – 1975.
Proposed to the Council by a US-based veteran representative group, the memorial will be erected in the vicinity of Clonroadmore Park area of the town on 11th November 2013 as part of International Remembrance Day.
The Council says the event will also feature as part of The Gathering Ireland 2013 as the Memorial could potentially serve as a tourist attraction to the estimated 1.4 million ex-veterans in America.
It is proposed that the names of Irish men and women who served and lost their lives in South East Asia, including Vietnam, will be listed on the Memorial which will carry the inscription, “The people of the allied nations express their heartfelt gratitude for the service and sacrifice of those above and to their families, loved ones and the Irish Nation.”
Talks are also underway in relation to the proposed development of a dedicated peace park and a sculpture to remember all Irish men and women who died in all past wars.
The proposal to erect the Memorial in Ennis was first made by ex-Veteran and frequent visitor to the Clare County Capital, Mr. Matthew Carroll. He has built up relationships with a number of people from the local business and cultural community.
A spokesperson for Ennis Town Council stated: “Ennis, particularly given its proximity to Shannon International Airport, is viewed as an ideal location for such a memorial. Mr. Carroll, who has met with all Ennis Town Councillors, has strongly suggested that Ennis and County Clare could be designated a rest and recuperation location for veterans and also for American soldiers on holiday leave. Mr. Carroll is of the view that a first Irish memorial would be visited by large numbers of American and Irish families.”
“The elected members, Council officials and Ennis Chamber representatives, who met with Mr. Carroll, referred to the sensitivity surrounding any war memorial, including one which incorporates Irish men and women who served in the Vietnam War. While acknowledging this fact, Ennis Town Council does not wish to turn its back on the Irish men and women who lost their life and those who served and may currently be in need of advocacy and support. Therefore, the proposed memorial is dedicated to those Irish who served and lost their lives during military service in South East Asia and is not a war memorial. It is not a judgement on the rights and wrongs of war, but is a focus on creating a space for reflection for families of Irish men and women who served in allied military service in South East Asia.”
Mr. Carroll’s advocacy organisation, which is independent of the state, will fund the proposed memorial in Ennis. The Council says it will now work with Mr. Carroll to deliver the project as a Council project funded by a third party.
Proposed to the Council by a US-based veteran representative group, the memorial will be erected in the vicinity of Clonroadmore Park area of the town on 11th November 2013 as part of International Remembrance Day.
The Council says the event will also feature as part of The Gathering Ireland 2013 as the Memorial could potentially serve as a tourist attraction to the estimated 1.4 million ex-veterans in America.
It is proposed that the names of Irish men and women who served and lost their lives in South East Asia, including Vietnam, will be listed on the Memorial which will carry the inscription, “The people of the allied nations express their heartfelt gratitude for the service and sacrifice of those above and to their families, loved ones and the Irish Nation.”
Talks are also underway in relation to the proposed development of a dedicated peace park and a sculpture to remember all Irish men and women who died in all past wars.
The proposal to erect the Memorial in Ennis was first made by ex-Veteran and frequent visitor to the Clare County Capital, Mr. Matthew Carroll. He has built up relationships with a number of people from the local business and cultural community.
A spokesperson for Ennis Town Council stated: “Ennis, particularly given its proximity to Shannon International Airport, is viewed as an ideal location for such a memorial. Mr. Carroll, who has met with all Ennis Town Councillors, has strongly suggested that Ennis and County Clare could be designated a rest and recuperation location for veterans and also for American soldiers on holiday leave. Mr. Carroll is of the view that a first Irish memorial would be visited by large numbers of American and Irish families.”
“The elected members, Council officials and Ennis Chamber representatives, who met with Mr. Carroll, referred to the sensitivity surrounding any war memorial, including one which incorporates Irish men and women who served in the Vietnam War. While acknowledging this fact, Ennis Town Council does not wish to turn its back on the Irish men and women who lost their life and those who served and may currently be in need of advocacy and support. Therefore, the proposed memorial is dedicated to those Irish who served and lost their lives during military service in South East Asia and is not a war memorial. It is not a judgement on the rights and wrongs of war, but is a focus on creating a space for reflection for families of Irish men and women who served in allied military service in South East Asia.”
Mr. Carroll’s advocacy organisation, which is independent of the state, will fund the proposed memorial in Ennis. The Council says it will now work with Mr. Carroll to deliver the project as a Council project funded by a third party.
